Bifurcipentatoma nigricornuta, Fan, Zhong - Hua & Liu, Guo - Qing, 2012

Fan, Zhong - Hua & Liu, Guo - Qing, 2012, species from China (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae), Zootaxa 3274, pp. 14-28 : 17-20

Bifurcipentatoma nigricornuta sp. nov.

(Figs. 6–7, 10–15)

Types. Holotype: male, CHINA: Xishui County (28°19'N, 106°12'E), Guizhou Province, 25. IX. 2000, Chang–fa Zhou leg. (NKUM). Paratype: 1 male, same data as holotype except the collector Jian–sheng Zhou (NKUM).

Diagnosis. Body size, colour, shape of abdominal basal process all similar to B. brunnea , but the humeral angles of pronotum with coarse black punctures, thus appearing black instead of the red outer margin in B. brunnea , and each mesopleuron with two black spots (fig. 3) while there is only one in B. brunnea (fig. 2). Also, the peritreme is longer than 1/3 the width of the evaporatorium in this species, while it is much shorter than 1/3 the width of the evaporatorium in B. brunnea . Male genitalia are also distinctly different (figs. 10–15).

Description. Color and puncturing. Body nearly ochraceous; coarsely punctured with dark brown punctures. Pronotum: Surface of both anterolateral margins and humeral angles with red; anterolateral margins narrowly black at edge; punctures on the humeral angles dark black, much thicker than elsewhere; middle of pronotum sparsely punctuate, light yellow. Connexivum uniformly punctured; yellow in middle third and black on anterior and posterior sides; boundaries between colors sharp. Body beneath pale yellow; one black spot near each coxa and one in the middle along anterior margin on each mesopleuron. Legs becoming darker towards the apices, especially tibial apices and tarsi; apical half of claws black.

Structure. Head: Dorsal surface transversely wrinkled; one oblong laevigate patch near each eye; two narrow laevigate strips between ocelli; lateral margins convex; mandibular plates and clypeus about equal in length; a long black strip above each antennal base. Antennae yellow brown; apices of antennomeres 1, 2 and 3 dark brown; apical 2/3 of antennomere 4 and apical half of the antennomere 5 darkly red brown; antennomere 1 nearly reaching the apex of head; antennomere 3 only slightly longer than 2. Rostrum reaching the posterior margin of the abdominal sternum 3.

FIGURES. 6–9. Habitus of Bifurcipentatoma species 6–7. B. nigricornuta sp. nov., holotype (6—dorsal view; 7—ventral view). 8–9. B. parabrunnea sp. nov., holotype (8—dorsal view, 9—ventral view).

FIGURES. 10–15. Bifurcipentatoma nigricornuta sp. nov. 10–11. Pygophore (10—ventral view, 11—dorsal view) (vm —ventral margin of pygophore, dm —dorsal margin of pygophore, pd —parandria). 12–13. Paramere (12—lateral view, 13—apical view) (ap —apex of paramere, bp —basal process, om —outer margin, sbp —subapical process). 14–15. Aedeagus (14—ventral view, 15—lateral view) (acl —apical conjunctival lobe, dp —dorsal conjunctival process, mpp —median penial plate, ph —phallotheca, v —vesica, va —ventral sclerotized appendage).

Pronotum. Anterior margin deeply excavated and truncated behind eyes; each anterior angle pointed anterolaterally, reaching beyond outer margin of adjacent eye; anterolateral margins concave and very finely denticulate, becoming weaker and finer near humeral angles; humeral angle protruding, elevated upwards, bifid, the anterior tooth blunt and stronger while the posterior one acute with apex passing slightly beyond the anterior one; posterior pronotal margin almost straight.

Scutellum. One oblique smooth spot inside each basal black depression; one obscure longitudinal medial band, its surface lighter than elsewhere; apex of scutellum slender.

Hemelytra. Outer margin of exocorium broadly convex, its base with coarse black punctures; apical margin of corium more or less straight; membrane light fumose, passing beyond apex of abdomen, veins apically dark brown. Peritreme straight and longer than 1/3 width of evaporatorium, with round apex.

Abdomen. Connexiva narrowly exposed with posterior angles short and acute; ventral base distinctly keel–like, but not produced forwards; venter smooth without any punctures; stigmata black.

Male genitalia. Ventral margin of pygophore deeply and quadrangularly excavated medially (fig. 10). Paramere (figs. 12–13) with apex round, outer margin round, flattened and thin, two blunt processes in the inner side, a thin finger–like process produced at base. Aedeagus (figs. 14–15) with a pair of sclerotized dorsal processes, conjunctiva with one long membranous median lobe which further trifurcates at the apex; two stout sclerotized appendages on the ventral side of conjunctiva. Vesica only slightly protruding, much shorter than the apex of median penial plate which is oblong.

Etymology. The species name nigricornuta , a Latin adjective meaning ‘having black horns’, refers to the black humeral angles of pronotum.

Distribution. Southwest China (Guizhou).